1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally concerned with holsters for the nozzle components of medical/dental suction devices. It is particularly concerned with maintaining aseptic conditions and convenient human hand access to such devices during medical/dental procedures.
2. Discussion of the Background
A wide variety of prior art medical suction nozzle holsters are disclosed in the patent literature. Such holders have many different features that perform various distinct technical functions as well as various convenience-in-use functions. These convenience-is-use functions often involve the methods and mechanical devices used to temporarily attach such nozzle holsters to a bedrail or operating table rail for ease and/or convenience of use during medical/dental procedures wherein the medical/dental practitioner's attention is often urgently directed away from such holsters.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,110 B1 (“the '110 patent”) teaches a holster for an electrocautery tip. The holster is attached to an operating table, Mayo instrument table, etc. by a temporary attachment means such as a spring-loaded, wide-base C-clamp (see FIGS. 4a and 4b) or a releasable clip (see FIG. 4). Since the outwardly-extending member is integral and unitary with the receptacle, there is no way to rotate the receptacle with respect to the outwardly-extending member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,286 (“the '286 patent”) discloses a cleaning and storage device for an aspirator instrument such as a Yankauer suction tube. The device has a holder that can be attached to a bedrail by opposing adhesive surfaces or by a C-shaped clamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,822 (“the '822 patent”) discloses a wall mounted holder for a Yankauer suction instrument. The holder has a base and two spaced supports respectively extending substantially horizontally from the upper end of the vertically mounted base and from the lower end of said base. The upper support may comprise, for example, a continuous rim that forms an annular ring that defines an opening for receiving the forward end of the suction instrument and thereby preventing it from tipping laterally. The lower support preferably has two spaced support arms that define a substantially horizontal slot. In effect an upper end of the suction device resides in the ring while the handle portion of the suction device rests on the support arms above the slot while a suction hose portion of the suction device extends through the horizontal slot defined by the two spaced apart support arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,074 (“the '074 patent”) discloses a sleeve-type holder for a suction device such as a Yankauer suction tube. One end of a sleeve component of this holder is provided with a frame that can be slidably mounted to a C-shaped frame track having a comparable C-shaped channel configuration. The opposing end of the sleeve is provided with a hole for receiving a hook of a body member bar. The body member bar is attached to a clamp that attaches the bar, frame and sleeve assembly to a bedrail. Thus, the sleeve that holds the suction tube can not be rotated once the frame is inserted into the channel portion of the C-shaped frame track.
The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,974 (“the '974 patent”) are quite similar to those of the '074 patent. It does, however, contain the added feature (see FIGS. 10 and 11) of providing the frame with a dovetail side that is inserted into a dovetail track (i.e., dovetail-shaped channel). Such an arrangement does not permit rotation of the sleeve with respect to the dovetail track's channel portion.
The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,963 (“the '963 patent”) are similar to those of the '974 patent. The main difference between these two patent references is depicted in FIGS. 17 and 18 of the '963 patent. They show a frame-like member hingedly mounted to a mounting plate. This plate is fixedly mounted to a clamp that is, in turn, slidably mounted to a bedrail or similar bar-like object. This construction does not permit vertical rotation of the sleeve to any alternative position or orientation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,679 (“the '679 patent”) teaches a holster for a hand-held instrument such as an intake nozzle of an operating room suction device. The '679 patent suggests several ways the holster may be attached to an operating table (see FIGS. 1, 4 and 5). These ways include: (a) blade-like inserts for placement between table tops and cushions, alligator clamps and C-clamps having hand operable tightening/loosening bolts. This holster is adapted to hold a bubble wrap in which the suction device was originally packaged. The suction tip is holstered in this original package during use. The nozzle holster also is adapted to secure the bubble wrap to the inside of the holster. After the operation is over, the wrapper and nozzle are disposed of and a new nozzle-containing wrapper (e.g., clear plastic bag) is put in the holster.
It might again be noted that none of these devices for attaching medical/dental holsters to a mounting surface (e.g., an operating room table or wall) allow for variation in the vertical orientation of the handle of the suction nozzles held in such holsters. The hereinafter described medical/dental suction nozzle holster addresses this problem by providing three separate and distinct vertical orientations for its holster.